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Tag: Walt Disney

  • UTV to screen Paan Singh Tomar for I&B Ministry

    UTV to screen Paan Singh Tomar for I&B Ministry

    MUMBAI: On a special request, UTV has decided to screen UTV Spotboy’s Paan Singh Tomar for the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

    The screening will be attended by I&B minister Ambika Soni along with director Tigmanshu Dhulia and actor Irfan Khan on 14 March.

    Said Walt Disney Company India managing director Ronnie Screwvala, “We are very heartened with the box office and the critical acclaim the film has got and we think it is an Oscar contender, no less. It is thus apt that the I&B Ministry arranged this screening and we are very proud of the recognition that the Ministry and Ambikaji has given to our work and commitment.

  • Nike ups Gangopdhyay, appoints Avinash Pant as India marketing head

    Nike ups Gangopdhyay, appoints Avinash Pant as India marketing head

    MUMBAI: Nike India has promoted Sanjay Gangopdhyay as marketing head for South East Asia. He was earlier marketing head for Nike India.

    The company has appointed Avinash Pant to replace Gangopdhyay.

    Pant‘s last assignment was with Walt Disney where he was executive director – marketing. He had resigned from Walt Disney about two months ago.

    Prior to Walt Disney, Pant was with Coca-Cola where he spent 14 years working across various functions and gained experience in marketing and in building brands. He also has experience in strategic marketing, category and brand management, innovation, media planning and buying, consumer activation and sales.

  • Walt Disney, Univision mull English news channel

    Walt Disney, Univision mull English news channel

    MUMBAI: In an effort to keep pace with changing demographics among US Hispanics and reach a new audience of English speakers, Walt Disney Company is mulling with the idea of teaming up with Univision, the dominant Spanish-language broadcaster in the US, to launch an English-language cable news channel this year.

    The new channel could combine the resources of Disney’s ABC News and Univision’s news division to rival established news entities like Fox News Channel, MSNBC and CNN.

    If the idea fructifies, the partnership could create a new name in cable news to compete with Fox News, CNN and MSNBC, the audiences of which have become more defined by their politics than ethnic origin.

    The joint venture would allow ABC News and Univision to share newsgathering costs in the way that is practiced by NBC News and MSNBC.

    Disney‘s ownership of ESPN Sports Network puts it as the strongest negotiating content company with cable and satellite operators. The Disney association would give the new channel a big advantage as it seeks distribution.

    News of the talks between ABC and Univision was first reported by the Wall Street Journal after News Corp announced plans for a general interest free-to-air Spanish-language television network in partnership with RCN Television Group, the Colombian broadcaster.

  • Walt Disney executive takes studio to Court

    Walt Disney executive takes studio to Court

    MUMBAI: A former executive vice president of Walt Disney Pictures Glen Lajeski has filed a lawsuit against the studio in state court alleging that his contract was breached when he was fired by the company last June. Lajeski was involved in movie music marketing at Walt Disney Pictures

    Lajeski began his tenure with Disney in 1996 as vice president of music marketing. The suit says that during his time with the company, he spearheaded the success of the soundtrack for O Brother, Where Art Thou? and also worked on soundtracks for such films as Coyote Ugly, Pirates of the Caribbean and Armageddon.

    Lajeski was ultimately promoted to the title of executive vice president, music/creative marketing. His most recent contract with the company began on 2 January, 2008.

    The suit says that Lajeski was fired on or about June 15 “without specifying any cause for the termination and providing no opportunity to cure.” I further goes on to say that the marketing personal’s employment contract was not set to expire until 1 January, 2013.

  • MGM names Stratton as CFO

    MGM names Stratton as CFO

    MUMBAI: MGM has named Dene B. Stratton as its chief financial officer according to the studio‘s co-chairmen and CEOs Gary Barber and Roger Birnbaum. Stratton, who spent nearly two decades at the Walt Disney Co., was the CFO of the Internet start-up TRC Media Limited.

    In his tenure at Disney, he rose to the position of CFO, Jetix Europe. He also held such positions as senior vp, planning and control for ABC; senior vp and general manager for DIC Entertainment; senior vp, business development for Walt Disney Television International in Asia Pacific; and vp, finance, European controller, Walt Disney Studios Europe.

    Before joining Disney in 1990, Stratton was as business unit controller for Calcomp.

    “Dene has the solid foundation and the precise experience we were hoping to find in our new CFO. We are enthused by what we know he will bring to the table and look forward to a prosperous future together,” Barber and Birnbaum said.

  • Disney launches new merchandise

    Disney launches new merchandise

    MUMBAI: The Walt Disney Company‘s Disney Consumer Products has launched new merchandise for its various properties including, Disney.Pixar Cars 2, Mickey and friends and Winnie the Pooh.

    The range of accessories themed back-to-school include water bottles, stationery, lunch boxes and back packs.

    The products feature Disney franchises such as Disney.Pixar Cars 2‘s stationery, crayons, felt pens and water colours in the price range of Rs.59 to Rs. 249. Lunch boxes, sippers and water bottles are starting from Rs. 139 to Rs. 599. The back packs priced between Rs. 345 to Rs. 945 will have the character Lighting McQueen.

    The Mickey Mouse accessories will have crayons, sharpeners, compass boxes and pencils starting from Rs. 25 to Rs. 249, water bottles and lunch boxes from Rs.69 to Rs. 499. The backpacks for young adults range from Rs.750 to Rs. 890 and the backpacks for nursery and pre-primary children are between Rs. 395 to Rs. 550.

    Winnie the Pooh stationery start at Rs. 25 to Rs. 329 while the water bottles and lunch boxes available in various sizes range between Rs. 129 to Rs. 569. The backpacks with the Pooh image are priced at Rs.275 to Rs. 565.

    The Disney Princess stationery will be priced between Rs. 24 to Rs. 329. Lunch boxes and water bottles are available in different sizes staring from Rs. 129 to Rs. 169 and the backpacks will range between Rs. 475 to Rs. 795.

    The Phineas and Ferb stationery will be available for Rs.25 to Rs. 329, lunch boxes and sippers between Rs. 129 to Rs. 569, while the backpacks will range from Rs. 445 to Rs. 895.

    The products will be available across retail outlets like Lifestyle, Landmark, Big Bazaar, Staples and Reliance Time Out.

  • ‘With the launch of the kids channel, we are ready to scale up the verticals’ : Rajiv Sangari- Spacetoon India MD & CEO

    ‘With the launch of the kids channel, we are ready to scale up the verticals’ : Rajiv Sangari- Spacetoon India MD & CEO

    It has been a long wait outside the ring. After building up verticals in the licensing, publishing and merchandising space, Spacetoon has launched its kids channel to combat against multinationals like Turner, Walt Disney and Viacom in the tough Indian market.

     

    A licensing and merchandising deal with Emerging Media, owner of the IPL winning team Rajasthan Royals, has put the company on a totally different pedestal. Talks are also on with a few other sporting goliaths to expand the L&M portfolio.

     

    Spacetoon Kids TV, however, will evolve as the prime property and will guzzle over 50 per cent of the company’s Rs 1 billion investment plan.

     

    In India, the group has floated Kids Media India (KMI), a company that will take care of the TV and licensing business. Kids Animation India is the other arm that will look after the publishing activities.

     

    The shareholding has also been restructured with Japanese firm Animation International holding 51 per cent stake in KMI. Dubai-based Spacetoon Media Group holds the remaining with a small stake as sweat equity resting with Spacetoon India managing director and CEO Rajiv Sangari.

     

    In an interview with Indiantelevision.com’s Anindita Sarkar, Sangari talks about the company’s growth plans across the verticals.

     

    Excerpts:

    What took you so long to launch in India?
    Since the germination of the idea way back in 2004-end, we have spent a long time testing the market. As the Indian economy and the TV industry went on a zoom and prices skyrocketed, we had to rethink our strategies as we were going to occupy a niche space. With distribution, marketing and all kinds of operational spends going beserk as Hindi general entertainment channels got launched, it would have made no business sense to launch a kids channel. Frankly, it would have been a business hara-kiri. Now the prices have corrected and things are much more in control. Despite an overall bleak scenario and a tough advertising market, launching at this moment definitely makes more business sense.

    The shareholding for the Indian venture has changed with Japanese firm Animation International (AI) holding 51% stake in Kids Media India. Was the delay partly caused by this?
    Both Spacetoon and AI have relations since the last 25 years and they have been partnering and co-operating with each other on many businesses together. Hence, changing of the hands in shareholding doesn’t have much to do with any kind of interest level subsiding or increasing. It is a strategic move by both partners of re-strategising and restructuring their operations amongst themselves. Most of the East and South East Asian operations, for example, will be monitored by AI, while most of the Western Asian, European and Eastern European operations will come directly under Spacetoon. I would term this as strategic restructuring.

    Spacetoon was in talks with investors to raise money. Is that plan still on?
    Spacetoon was in talks with a few players and we had already determined 3-4 of them at various stages of our discussions. But most of them wanted to basically take advantage of the position of our fund raising, rather than sharing our passion. Either they wanted majority stake or at some point they wanted us to exit. This did not go with our strategy for India.

     

    Though we realise that for taking our verticals to the next level we require some support, we are equipped as of now to handle it on our own. But if we get an extra push in terms of a partner who can value our strength, experience and hard work which has gone behind making the company and the brand what it is today, we will definitely look at the possibility. India’s economy and retail can only grow and we have 360 million kids. We require a partner who thinks and aligns with us for long term.

    Did you first focus on developing the licensing, publishing and merchandising platform before stepping into the kids broadcasting space?
    That is the business model Spacetoon has followed in other markets. We are doing the same thing here. For over a period of 3 years now, other than TV launch, we have successfully launched our licensing, publishing and merchandising divisions and are very soon launching our own IP programmes.

     

    We are glad that we did not divest then. We have done the tough job of laying out a platform for licensing and merchandising. After the launch of the kids channel, the time has come for us to scale up the verticals.
    How much is Spacetoon investing in India?
    We plan to invest Rs 1 billion over three years. Out of this, about 50 per cent upwards will be consumed by the TV operations.

    Why did KMI decide to launch a kids channel when the genre has actually shrunk a bit last year and the revenue size at Rs 150 crore is still too small to take in so many players?
    We need to realise that kids business is not driven completely by TV broadcasting. Unlike general entertainment channels, ad revenue is important but not the only source of income in the kids genre. It’s always the ancillary units like merchandising, publishing, etc. which will help it take to the next level. And TV business is a long term game.
    ‘Kids business is not driven completely by TV broadcasting. Ad revenue is important but not the only source of income in the kids genre. It’s always the ancillary units like merchandising and publishing which will help it take to the next level‘

    Earlier, Spacetoon Kids TV was looking at investing Rs 250 million for carriage in delivery platforms such as cable TV networks and DTH. However, that number has been scaled down. Why?
    Haven’t others too? It’s simple, the market today doesn’t allow us or anyone to do so. I hear from some sources that most of the top to small TV channels have slashed down their distribution disbursements. And, especially in kids genre, you just can’t support such a large distribution budget.

    The channel is still not well distributed. How are you planning to tackle this and by when do we see it more visible?
    Our focus is not only to tap the Tam cities but also other markets. As of today, our estimates are that we have penetrated over 10 million homes and we expect to do over 15 million by the middle of this year. By year-end, we should be touching 25 million homes. And, don’t forget, it’s only four weeks since we launched. We realise it will take minumum 3-4 months before we start getting visible across all markets.

    What are the distribution deals you with stitched with the MSOs and the DTH operators?
    We are in talks with the direct-to-home operators. As far as cable goes, we are available in some Hathway Cable & Datacom networks. We have also signed up other cable operators, particularly for their digital viewers. Distribution is a gradual build-up.

    Spacetoon Kids TV will have to jostle with seven existing channels to tap into 360 million kids in India. How do you find space in this tough market?
    Each one of us has a different style, programming methodologies, and formats. Our channel will be focusing a lot on moral and social values, packaged with lots of entertainment content.

    What is the different positioning you are taking?
    Spacetoon will divide the day into 10 planets. Unlike running half-hour episodes back to back, we will be giving the kids a mix of several things. There will be fillers which are moral based, messages, ads, packaging, promos, etc. This will ensure a different look during the whole day.

    Do we also get to see localised content as part of the programming mix?
    We definitely are looking towards creating localised programming very soon. This will be mostly live action-based programming. There are discussions going on with various producers to this effect.

    What are your other marketing plans and spends for the channel?
    We will be creating a touch base by tapping thousands of schools in India. We realise that if we have to tap the minds of the kids, there is no better place than their learning ground – school. We are creating a very good value-based school-contact programme, a key area where most of our energy is going to be focused in the first year.

     

    We will also be having events from April onwards in high public areas like malls.

    What is the revenue Spacetoon is projecting and how does it break up in terms of the channel and other verticals?
    I would not want to put across numbers now. Nobody can predict the forthcoming financials in today’s market. But our major revenue driver will be merchandising, which is in full throttle. Following that are our publishing and licensing activities. As for TV revenue, we are expecting it to start from the later part of the year. It will take us some time to penetrate the market and grab space in the minds of the kids.

    What are your expansion plans in terms of licensing and merchandising?
    We have tapped over 69 licensees in the last 14 months. These are translating into products that will get into the market during the course of this year. We already represent some top companies in the world for licensing and there are few more coming our way in the next few months to make our portfolio more robust and meaningful.

     

    We observed that our portfolio was tilted more towards the boy category. But now with Hello Kitty and Garfield coming our way, I think we have one of the best characters in the girls genre.

    What are your plans with Rajasthan Royals?
    We are in hot pursuit to come out with products before the first week of April when the IPL kicks off. We have already worked out our strategies to tap the right licensees who will be able to add value to this fantastic brand on the ground level through merchandising.

     

    We have a three-year deal with Emerging Media and are targeting Rs 200 million of retail business in the first year. Since the time is very short, we are channelising all our resources towards this.

     

    We are also in discussions with few more goliaths from other sports, especially big international clubs. We hope to stitch deals with some of them soon.
  • ‘Indian promoters have build a scale where they can attract foreign media companies’ : Ravi Sardana – ICICI Securities Limited Vice President

    ‘Indian promoters have build a scale where they can attract foreign media companies’ : Ravi Sardana – ICICI Securities Limited Vice President

     Foreign media companies like Walt Disney and Turner have entered into equity deals with Indian firms to grow their business in India.

     

    The last two years has seen a spate of equity deals, changing the media landscape in India. Indian promoters have raised money to build scale and also brought in corporate structures.

     

    In an interview with Sibabrata Das, ICICI Securities vice president Ravi Sardana talks about the immense potential that the media sector offers to investors and the consolidation that is waiting to happen.

     

    Excerpts:

    Multinational media companies like Walt Disney and Turner had come to India on their own. Why are they now entering into JVs with local partners?
    When the foreign players entered the market, there was no Indian media company of size to attract a buyout. Besides, the market has become too crowded today. It is better for them to build on whatever is available. Managing the government and distribution on cable networks is also difficult.

    Why are the Indian media companies becoming attractive to financial and private equity investors as well?
    Indian promoters have taken their companies to a scale where even Walt Disney and Time Warner have gone ahead to do equity deals with them. The business has become scalable with the opening of multiple platforms. There are also lots of markets in India which are still under penetrated. Media companies can expand their business by entering into new geographies.

    Which are the segments in the media sector that are proving lucrative?
    In the broadcasting space, every big player wants to build a full boutique. Even smaller TV production companies like Miditech and BAG Films are getting into broadcasting. All of this will require funding.

     

    Distribution is also becoming a big value driver and a new segment that investors have started looking into as the revenue leakages are getting plugged with digitalisation. The regional space is another interesting segment and will see higher growth compared to Hindi and English media. Regional TV has not build scale like print has, but there is a serious interest. Growth is faster in tier-II and tier-III towns.

    But aren’t DTH companies saddled with losses?
    In the short run, they may not be attractive for investors. But DTH service providers are mopping up subscribers. That will add value and open up the space for investors.

    Aren’t investors shying away from cable companies as digitalisation is slow?
    Cas (conditional access system) has been introduced in pockets of Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. Consolidation is also happening at the multi-system operator (MSO) level in analogue cable. The process is underway to convert this to digital. We are already getting feelers from investors who are exploring options to put money behind cable networks.
    ‘Since the size and scale of the movie business has shot up, there is a need for capital. While good financing sources for debt are being made available, there is a requirement of providing risk capital for this business‘

    Only one media company raised money through an initial public offering in 2007. Why are IPOs drying up in the media sector?
    The first wave of IPOs happened when companies like Mukta Arts and Creative Eye tapped the market. It was a pre-matured phase. Now Indian media companies have set up corporate systems from being just promoter-led. But there are not many large media companies that are privately held.

    The economy is slowing down and interest rates are hardening. Do you see media organisations being cash strapped to fund their growth?
    Companies have chalked out aggressive growth plans. They believe the wider pull of channels they have, the easier it will be to sort out distribution issues. But to expand their presence in all genres of broadcasting, they need capital. Fund raising for some companies has definitely slowed down. But they can tap alternate sources of funding like debt, private equity and convertible instruments.

    Is the broadcasting space heading for consolidation?
    In every genre, the top 3-5 channels will make money. There will be a huge competition to reach those levels. We will see some consolidation and there will be pressure to differentiate content.

    Are news channels getting bogged down by a steep rise in operational costs?
    More than operational expense, it is distribution costs that are inflating and going to hurt.

    Is the news channel space getting too cluttered with companies from all sectors wanting to rush into it?
    Historically, the journalist-led channels have done well. Already there is a clutter and there are a large number of strongly entrenched players. New entrants will have a challenging task; they will have to create a new niche space.

    Will there be room for so many regional news channels?
    If they are able to get market share, then in 2-3 years they will break even. The big players can also amortise their costs with the main channels.

    Do you see the other revenue streams growing for news broadcasters?
    The other revenue streams in India are still very small. News channels should focus on kicking in subscription revenues.
    How are the movie companies shaping up in India and what are the challenges they face?
    In the movie business, there are already the four tigers – UTV, Adlabs, Eros and Studio18. Multiplex operator PVR is also into movie production. For a pure film exhibition company, profitability could be range bound. So there is need to enter into other streams like film production and distribution.
    What are the new financing options available for companies?
    For the film business, Indian companies have tapped the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) of the London Stock Exchange. Since the size and scale of the business has shot up, there is a need for capital. While good financing sources for debt are being made available, there is a requirement of providing risk capital for this business.
  • Excel Home Videos wins 2 Fox Marketing Awards

    Excel Home Videos wins 2 Fox Marketing Awards

    MUMBAI: Home entertainment major Excel Home Videos earned two Awards for India at the Twentieth Century Fox Awards for Excellence in Home Entertainment.

     

    This is the first time that an Indian company has received honours from Fox for the home entertainment segment. The company swept two of the four awards for India, including ‘Highest Growth’ and ‘Best Theatrical Synergy”.

     

    The other two awards were won by Hong Kong. The award ceremony held at Bali, Indonesia witnessed nine countries, including South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, among others, competing for top honours.

    The award for ‘highest growth’ was for the 67 per cent growth the company achieved in the last fiscal. Excel Home Videos, which owns the largest DVD catalogue in the country and enjoys a retail penetration of over 12,000 retail outlets, attributes the success to its product quality, technical brilliance and innovative marketing. Apart from Fox, Excel also represents other entertainment majors like Walt Disney, MGM, Merchant Ivory, HIT, Shringar, and EA amongst others in India.

    The award of ‘Best Theatrical Synergy’ was conferred for the pioneering efforts of the company in successfully using theatrical synergy to promote Home Video Products. Says MN Kapasi, MD, Excel Home Videos, “Merely coinciding the release hasn’t achieved us the feat. The entire effort has been well coordinated with effective pricing, DVD visibility in stores, innovative advertising, among other aspects”. The experiment began with the DVD re-release of the Brad Pitt starrer ‘Fight Club‘ last February. The English DVD did roaring business with the pre-launch hype of the Sohail Khan starrer. The success was later duplicated with a string of Marvel titles including X – Men 1, X – Men 2, X – Men 3, Fantastic Four: The Rise of the Silver Surfer, Elektra, and Daredevil, among others.”

     

    The Awards, in its third year, were presented by Richard Crook, vice president, International Licensees, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.

  • Excel videos line up Oscar Film Festival on DVD

    Excel videos line up Oscar Film Festival on DVD

    MUMBAI: With the 79th Annual Academy Awards around the corner Excel Home Videos in association with Twentieth Century Fox, Walt Disney Home Entertainment and Merchant Ivory Production has launched an Oscar DVD Film Festival.

    The fest titled ‘Oscar Fever 2007’ will continue from 22 Feb tol 15 March. It will feature 46 movies including The Sound of Music, Aliens, The French Connection, Gentleman’s Agreement, Titanic, Tora!Tora!Tora!, Braveheart, Sideways, Great Expectations, Miracle On 34th Street, The Abyss, Walk the line, Boys Don’t Cry, The Full Monty, Independence Day, The Longest Day, Moulin Rouge, Mrs DoubtFire, The Omen, Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid, Mary Poppins, Cold Mountain, Finding Nemo, The Little Mermaid, The Chronicles of Narnia, Pearl Harbor, Dick Tracy and, Howards End.

    Says Excel Home Videos managing director M.N Kapasi, “This is the first time in Indian Home Entertainment that multiple Hollywood Studios have come together for a Movie Extravaganza. This is a great opportunity for cinema buffs to expand their collection and also upgrade their VCDs to high end DVDs.”

    The Festival will feature a unique reward point system with movies with more Oscars carrying higher points. There are also opportunities for consumers to win free DVDs.

    The other movies in the fray include Master & Commander, My Cousin Vinny, Patton, Wall Street, Speed, All that Jazz, Cocoon, Planet Of The Apes, Road To Perdition, The Fly, Hello Dolly, How Green Was My Valley, The Incredibles, Tarzan, Toy Story, Monsters Inc, Pocahontas, Colour of Money among others